Norwegian Prima: Western Itinerary January 2024

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Norwegian Prima – Western Caribbean Itinerary/January 12, 2024

 

 

For the first adventure of 2024, and my annual birthday trip, I am sailing on the NCL Prima out Galveston, Texas. It’s not often we get a new ship sailing out of Galveston so last year, when it was announced that she would be doing Western Caribbean itineraries, my sister and I jumped on the opportunity to sail on a new ship without having to fly anywhere. Great rates, because we booked in advance, and a nice four port itinerary – Costa Maya, Harvest Caye, Roatan, and Cozumel – made it the perfect choice for a mid-winter break for 2024. I brought a travel buddy who had been my roommate in Ireland and my sister brought her husband.

 Living in SWLA, Galveston is a primary cruise port for us. Easily accessible, only about a three-hour drive, and has grown exponentially since the Covid pandemic. Every winter season, we get two to three ships that will make a temporary homebase in Galveston until they return to their home ports for the spring and summer seasons. This year, we were lucky to get the Disney Wish, the Regal Princess, and the Norwegian Prima. These cruises sell out rather quickly as everyone knows they are only here temporarily and want to take advantage of sailing a ship is less accessible once it leaves Galveston. About 65-70% of the cruisers sailing out of Galveston are from states that are within driving distance of the port – Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi.

Our adventure started on Thursday, January 11^th as we headed into Galveston from SWLA. It’s about a three-hour drive and once you get to the Bolivar Peninsula, it’s a lovely drive until the ferry. Unfortunately, winter has established its presence here in the south and it was windy, hazy, and well-below normal temperatures. We opted to drive in the day ahead of embarkation just so weather wouldn’t delay us getting to the port. I chose an IHG property for the pre-cruise stay – Holiday Inn Express and Suites – which is one of three Holiday Inns along the Seawall and is brand new. Great location – about 2.5 miles from the port, right across the street from the beach, and within walking distance of several great dining options. We ended up having dinner at The Spot, which was right next door to the hotel, and enjoyed a tasty seafood meal with excellent service.

Friday was embarkation day! Since NCL does not have their own cruise terminal in Galveston, the Prima was docked at the newly renovated Carnival cruise terminal. We had an early check-in time of 10:30 so got to the parking lot around 10:15 to park and catch the shuttle (I dropped the link for cruise parking at the end of this blog). It was quick, smooth, and we were in line for check-in within 10 minutes of arriving at the parking lot. The transition from checkpoints to getting onboard was well-organized but took a little longer than I expected. At one point, we were put in the “holding” areas to be released in segments to get in the line for boarding. All in all, it took about 1.5 hours from getting to the terminal to setting foot onboard the ship.

The Prima is a beautiful ship who launched in the summer of 2022 with a capacity of 3100 guests and 1406 crew. She is the first in the Prima class ships with her sister ship, the Viva, setting sail the summer of 2023. Once onboard, we were immediately directed to head to our assigned muster station to check in and then we were free to start exploring all the amazing sections of the ship. There were several dining options open but based on the crowds, we headed to Deck 17 to the Surfside Café and Grill. Smaller than your “normal” ship buffet, it still had a fair selection of hot/cold foods, desserts, salad, and fruit. We enjoyed a quick bite and by the time we finished, our staterooms were available so we headed to deck 12 to check-out our home for the week.

Although my sister and I originally booked the same cabin type in the same area, she won an upgrade offer to a Club Balcony Suite so moved to deck 13 forward. Our balcony is a category BA Balcony with a forward location – Stateroom 12110. It is spacious cabin with a couch, queen bed that splits to two doubles, deck/vanity, roomy bathroom, and plenty of storage space and also has a connecting door to 12112 for families who might need that type of arrangement. I have a video on our YouTube Channel (link below) and pictures on our FB page under Albums. Although we didn’t receive our luggage until late afternoon, we were pleased the location and layout of the cabin.

After unpacking, we went to dinner at one of the A La Carte restaurant options, Palomar, which is a seafood-based menu. Service was excellent and the food was not only tasty but presented very well. I enjoyed the house Sauvignon Blanc which was an Italian wine called Tini. We ended the evening enjoying cocktails in the Observation Lounge and saw plenty of other ship lights out at sea while we were cruising through the Gulf.

On our way to Costa Maya, our sea day started out partially sunny but very windy and brisk. We ordered room service coffee last night and they were prompt with delivery right at 0700. The sun did come out for a few hours but the temperature wasn’t the normal upper 70’s/low 80’s that it is this far south into the Gulf. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop everyone onboard from enjoying the Sea Day. All the indoor spaces were full of people playing games, chatting, participating in ship activities, or just people watching. We enjoyed breakfast at Hudson’s, did a little shopping and played a few rounds of Bingo before enjoying what little sunshine there was for a bit.

The Prima was designed with an open space concept so everywhere you go, there is a lounge, outdoor seating area, or other public space for guests to enjoy. On the top of the ship, Decks 17-18, you can find mini-golf, the Speedway, darts, and the outdoor game area. We’re signed up for the Speedway tomorrow morning! You should make your reservations for the Speedway as soon as you get onboard. There is a $15 charge for the Speedway which goes on your onboard account. The waterslides are also open but it’s a bit brisk to try those out as they do not use heated water like the main pool.

As the day winds down, we are seeing whitecaps and drizzly skies. Tonight we will eat dinner at Hudson’s which is one of the main complimentary dining options. Hopefully, the weather clears for our first port of Costa Maya tomorrow, January 13^th.

Galveston Parking: Port of Galveston Parking Site Rates & General Information | Port of Galveston, TX - Official Website

Norwegian Prima Fact Sheet: ncl.com/sites/default/files/918843-CMI-Ship Fact Flyer-Prima.pdf